Cliffs of Moher & Farewell Dinner
August 15
It was raining pretty hard when we left Dromoland Castle for our early morning trip to Cliffs of Moher which left us a bit worried that our good luck with weather had changed. Our guides promised that the weather would clear and that we would be able to enjoy the cliffs before the major crowds arrived... When we arrived at the cliff it was still raining and the guides suggested we check out the exhibits inside before walking up to the cliffs. The wind and rain were initially pretty strong but the skies started to clear shortly after we arrived. The wind almost blew Charlie over at one point.
While the rain dis stop it was pretty windy as we walked up the steps to get our initial view of the cliffs. As we proceeded out on the cliff walk the wind subsided and the sun began to come out. The views were spectacular as we walked along the path. There were signs warning people to stay on the paths. With the 700 foot cliffs and areas with no barrier, we took the signs to heart. The path was wet but we were glad we walked out as far as we could.
Our lunch stop was at a McDermott’s Pub in Doolin, a tiny hamlet near the cliffs. We have really enjoyed all of the pub food we’ve had. This pub was no exception.
Back on the bus we played a final round of trivia. There was also a game of cards in the back of the bus with young people from different families, As we traveled we all had a lot of laughs. We have really enjoyed the families on this trip. When we returned to Dromoland we said good bye to our amazing bus driver, Joe. His expertise with getting the coach down roads and turns that looked impossible left everyone in awe.
We had a few hours on our own before dinner so we took advantage of facilities on the property and fit in a game of cards.
A bagpipe musician escorted our tour group to a private dining room in the hotel.
During dinner we were entertained by 3 musicians and Irish dancing by 3 very talented dancers.
This was our last night together and many of the people shared some of their favorite moments from the trip. Our guides prepared a video of photos they took during the week and shared it after dinner. It was a great evening but a little sad knowing that our trip was coming to an end. There were lots of hugs and a few tears. Our 2 guides, Stephen and Gabby have been terrific. They made things go seamlessly and made it look easy but I know how much work they put into making it the best possible experience for each person.
Tomorrow we leave for home.